(Uploaded: July 16, 2021)
Chapter: Epilogue
(Author's Note)
Woah, two chapters in one day? Dang, that'll probably never happen again.
Welp, here it is, the Epilogue and conclusion to the Champion of Olympus story. We've finally made it after three years. It's a pretty surreal experience, huh? At least it is for me. Stay tuned below for info on the Sequel.
Please, leave a Review in honor of Champion of Olympus coming to an end. I want to hear everyone's thoughts. No matter if you've been here from the beginning or just recently found this story. I'd love to hear any and all thoughts you might have about this story.
And without further ado, the conclusion of Champion of Olympus:
Please consider supporting me by becoming a Patron to receive early and exclusive content
Chapter: Epilogue
[Recap: You can't expect me to recap the last like ten chapters, can you? The last chapter just came out yesterday, so reread the last few chapters if you have a foggy memory, okay? Thanks :) ]
(December 25/2011 - New York City, New York)
"Annabeth is screaming in there! Let me in!"
Annabeth was giving birth and in the most pain she had ever been in before, and Percy couldn't do anything to help her. He couldn't even be in the delivery room.
And it was killing him.
The only things that were keeping him calm was his mom clenching his hand in her own and the fact that five gods and goddesses were invisibly presiding over the birth.
"You need to let the doctors do their job, Percy, and have some faith in your wife. Annabeth is a tough girl, she'll be okay." Paul told him.
"He's right, son," Poseidon told Percy as he stood next to him in a mortal form. "Don't forget that Hera, Eileithyia, Hebe, Apollo and Asclepius are all watching over the birth. Annabeth couldn't be in better hands."
"I know, I know. I'm just worried. And I wanna see her." Percy said, not at all calmed down. "It's just taking longer than I thought. And remember what Lady Eileithyia said about Annabeth being weak in the healing sleep. She was worried that the baby would be small and weak because of it."
"Put faith in Eileithyia, son. She's the goddess of childbirth for a reason. She'll take good care of Annabeth and your child."
From down the hall, Percy heard the sound of a wheelchair and forced himself to greet the new arrival. "Hey, Chiron. Glad you could make it. So would Annabeth."
"Percy, my boy, I would not miss this day for the end of the world. But I feared I would not make it in time."
"S'fine," Percy said, his eyes fixed to the door again. "It's taking longer than Hera expected. She only told me that it would be extremely difficult because of how weak Annabeth was in her healing sleep. But that felt like hours ago. I don't know how she's doing now."
"Annabeth will be fine, my child. Put your faith in the gods and the Fates. They will keep them safe."
"So people keep telling me—."
"Because it's true." Poseidon interrupted.
"—But it doesn't make me worry any less."
And as Sally was about to say something, another person ran down the hall and joined them.
"How's my girl? Please tell me I'm not too late!"
"Hey, Frederick." Percy greeted. "You're not late, she's still in labor."
"But I think you arrived just in time," Artemis said as she appeared right next to Percy. "I just peaked my head in and I think it's time. Was only able to stay a moment before Hera shooed me away."
"And now I'm even more nervous."
~A Page Break reminding you to follow me on Twitter~
"Come here, Mr. Jackson, and meet your new daughter." A nurse gestured him forward.
Percy felt his legs move him over to the med where Annabeth laid with a small bundle in her arms without being in control of them.
Finally being able to lay his eyes on his little girl for the first time was by far one of the best moments of Percy's life.
She was just so beautiful that he couldn't keep himself from tearing up.
"Ready to hold her, seaweed brain?"
Giving a nod, Percy ever so carefully took the small bundle into his arms and held her softly against his chest. Annabeth beamed and Percy felt like his heart was about to break again.
"Do you two have a name picked out?" A nurse asked kindly.
Percy smiled at Annabeth and then to the tiny baby in his arms, "Aurora Dōrothea Jackson. Aurora in honor of a friend of ours who passed, and Dōrothea, which means 'gift of god'."
"It's beautiful." The nurse said, a genuine beaming smile on her face. "But may I take little Aurora for a moment? We need to run some routine examinations on her."
~Page Break~
(January, 2012 - Percy and Annabeth's apartment, New York City)
Annabeth and little Aurora were finally released from the hospital after a few weeks. All of the doctors were very worried for and skeptical of Aurora's survival rate. The tiny newborn was small and weak, and needed constant care and supervision by the doctors, and not to mention Lady Eileithyia and Hera who watched over the baby and mother.
After countless tests and exams, Aurora was finally deemed healthy enough to go home with Percy and Annabeth.
But not before the doctor warned them about the potential repercussions to Aurora's growth and development. She would very likely always be small and sickly, though with proper diet, nutrition and exercise, she may overcome her condition in time.
"Let's get you two inside," Percy instructed as he held the door open for Annabeth who carried Aurora and promptly gestured them inside the tiny apartment. "It's as cold as Khione's ti—."
"Language, please." Annabeth cut him off kindly.
Percy rolled his eyes as he closed the door behind them. "She's only three weeks old, Beth. I may be wrong, but I think that's a little too young to worry about her picking up bad words."
"You may be right about Aurora, babe, but Astraea is another matter." Annabeth reminded him as they made their way further into the apartment where they heard a voice. "She's already learned the 'f' word. Let's try to not teach her anything else, okay?"
"I still stand my opinion that Thalia taught her that, I'll have you know."
"I don't care who taught her it, seaweed brain, I just don't want her learning anything else."
"Ah, there you two are. I hope you didn't have any trouble with the weather?" Hera came into view sitting in their miniscule living room. A now sixteen month-old Astraea was sitting next to her, playing with a few large stuffed animals and trying to get Hera's attention. "Astraea and I were just playing a little before lunch."
"Ma-ma! Da-da!" Astraea's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw Percy and Annabeth enter. She promptly threw down her toys and walked as fast as she could to them, reaching up at Percy, silently asking to be picked up.
"Oh there you are, my beautiful little star!" Percy swept the toddler up and began peppering her with kisses. "Mommy and daddy missed you so much!"
"Star!" Astraea cried, repeating one of the only words she knew other than 'ma-ma' and 'da-da'.
"Have you been a good girl for grandma Hera?" Percy asked, not really expecting an answer. Astraea was too busy clinging onto him as if she wouldn't see him again if she let go.
"She's been a wonderful dear," Hera told him, stepping up to get a better look at Aurora. "She's temperamental and stubborn like her grandfather, Heracles, but so kind and sweet and utterly adorable as well. Now, won't you three come in? I was about to get lunch started."
~Mini Page Break asking you to leave a Review~
It didn't take too long for Astraea to realize that Annabeth was holding another baby.
And she was instantly jealous.
"Ma! Ma! Maaa!" Astraea cried, pointing to Annabeth who held a sleeping Aurora. Her chubby face looked so betrayed seeing her mom hold another baby, it was adorable.
"Come here, little star. No need to shout." Percy picked up the toddler and sat down next to Annabeth, putting Astraea in his lap and making sure she had a good view of Aurora. "Meet your new baby sister, Astraea. This is Aurora."
Astraea studied Aurora with eyes betraying her age, as if she were trying to judge whether or not Aurora posed a threat. But it only took a few seconds for the toddler to break into a goofy smile as she clapped her hands.
"Oh, she's waking up, babe. Let Astraea get a good view of her."
Percy aligned Astraea just in time for Aurora's eyes to slowly flutter open. The baby aimlessly looked up to Astraea for a second before tracking back to Annabeth before promptly closing again.
"Aaa!" Astraea cried out, a giant smile on her face. Percy didn't need to read her mind, he knew Astraea had fallen in love with her little sister instantly.
Percy let Astraea get a little closer to Aurora, making sure that the energetic toddler didn't jostle the baby.
"I think it is safe to say that they will get along fine." Hera spoke up from the kitchen, a beaming smile on her face. "Now, who wants lunch? I made Tavche Gravche!"
~Page Break~
(September, 2017 - Forest Glen, Chicago, Illinois)
Percy and Annabeth, along with newly seven year old Astraea and five and a half year old Aurora, were playing in the spacious living room of their newly bought home in the most expensive neighborhood in Chicago.
The past six years had been good for the family of four. Percy had competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil and had easily swept the competition. Setting several new records and gaining world-renowned fame.
His swift finishes and friendly personality grained him several sponsorship deals that earned him more than enough to retire the following year. Instead intended on taking care of his girls as Annabeth achieved her dream of becoming an architect.
And that dream is why they had moved from New York City to Chicago, a city known for its wide-ranging plethora of different styles and schools. It was Annabeth's dream to one day open and run her own architect firm, but for right now she focused on learning everything she could and proving to the city that she could be as good as any man around her.
Astraea, who had just recently turned seven the previous month, had grown more than the two adults ever would have expected.
Astraea was always on the taller and heavier side of the scale for children her age, but as the years passed she grew more and more. Even at the age of seven, she was incredibly energized and athletic. Something Annabeth contributed to being a granddaughter of Heracles, the most physically fit god on Olympus by far.
But not all was well for Astraea. She, much to Percy's fear, had developed her father and grandfathers' short temperament. And that sometimes volatile anger— aided by her impressive physical strength, made her childish tantrums somewhat dangerous.
Which resulted in more than a few broken toys, pieces of furniture, and bruises.
Percy knew that Astraea didn't want to hurt anyone— much less get angry, she just had a very loose grip on her sometimes explosive anger.
That unfortunate fact— in Annabeth's opinion, was strengthened because Astraea was not allowed to leave their home unless under extreme situations in fear of her identity of being a half-blood being revealed.
Astraea's once tiny cherub wings grew as she grew— far beyond either Percy, Annabeth, Hera or Artemis had ever expected.
The seven year old's golden and red-tipped angel wings were one and a half times her arm span and had the unfortunate habit of revealing themselves at inopportune times.
It also didn't help that Astraea possessed the innate desire to fly, something that Percy and Annabeth had to ban after she had flown too high in her excitement and had almost fallen from what would have been a fatal height onto the concrete. It was only due to Percy's hydrokinesis that allowed him to catch the little girl before she hit the pavement. They also couldn't risk Astraea being spotted in the air, and as they lived in the middle of the city, she was barred from flying ever again.
They could risk the Zealots finding them, not now.
Not their little girls.
The wings could be magically concealed in her back without the danger of being seen or bumped into, but they required Astraea's undivided attention. And, if it wasn't already known, seven year olds don't possess the best concentration in the world.
As a result of this, Astraea was required to stay at home all day long, not being able to go to the park or shops with her dad and Aurora, or even to school like her prodigy of a little sister who had started the previous year.
Astraea was still receiving an education, of course. She was still a daughter of Annabeth, after all. Percy, now a full-time stay-at-home-dad, homeschooled the young girl, under Athena's watchful eyes, of course.
It didn't take long for the Goddess of Wisdom to take a keen interest in her granddaughters' lives and education. After being trusted with the true identity of Astraea's parents, something that only a select few gods and mortals knew.
Athena took over the godly grandmother role from Hera, who had decided to travel the mortal world in disguise as a mortal woman in search of fulfillment and to discover her purpose now that she was no longer the Queen of the Gods.
Neither Percy, Annabeth, nor any god or mortal had seen or heard from Hera in five years.
Little Aurora was just that; little.
She was no longer weak and sickly like she was as a baby, but the repercussions of Annabeth being weak with her while she was pregnant in the healing sleep never went away fully.
The two sisters were opposites in every possible way. While Astraea was very tall, energetic, rash and athletic, Aurora was incredibly small, shy, timid and bookwormish.
Astraea had long pinkish-blonde hair and vibrant golden-pink eyes, while Aurora had curly black hair that was the combination of her parents' and deep stormy grey eyes like her mother.
"Storytime. Storytime. Storytime!" Aurora ran up to Percy with a storybook as he sat on the couch next to Annabeth.
"Alright, alright. Storytime. Come up here and we'll read it together." Percy picked up the little girl and plopped her down on his lap before looking at her big sister who was playing with some toy cars. "You want to join us for storytime, Astraea?"
"Ugh, no!" Astraea groaned, intent on playing alone. "Books are booooring!"
"Suit yourself, cranky pants." Percy joked before opening the book for Aurora to look at. "Well, at least one of my sweet little girls still likes storytime…"
Percy opened his mouth to begin reading when Annabeth's sudden startled gasp made him pause.
"Beth? What's wrong?" Percy turned to his wife, looking for an answer as to why she suddenly cried out. She didn't respond so he followed her gaze to the tv where it sat muted.
It only took a breath to realize why she had gone silent.
The headline said it all;
"'HALF-BLOODS' CLAIM THE PROTECTED US ON JUNE 21ST ATTACKS, OFFERING PEACE TO UN'."
Percy had never unmuted the tv faster in his life.
Three half-bloods stood in traditional Greek togas bearing the symbols of Eirene, the goddess of Peace and their respective parents. They each approached the General Assembly of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria, bearing an Olive Branch.
One young woman who Percy recognized from Camp took another step forward— amid the fluttering of dozens of flashes of reporters' cameras, approached the Secretary General, offering him a wreath of Olive branches. And then, she began to speak;
"My name is Vienna Bertinelli, the daughter of Ekecheiria, the Greek Personification of Truce, Armistice, and the Cessation of Hostilities. My two companions are Sofía García, a daughter of Hermes and Dolcetto Higgins, the daughter of Amphictyonis, the Greek Goddess of Friendship Between Nations.
"We have come before you all today as the representatives of the Half-Blood people of the world. Six years ago, the entire world bore witness to a discovery that altered the very course of human history when the Island of Manhattan was attacked by an otherworldly army."
She paused briefly to look at the young women beside her.
"When the world became aware of us. Half-Bloods. Children born of one mortal and one divine parent. A people, who, for over the past two thousand years, have lived amongst you in hiding, living our lives as any one of you would. But also training and preparing for the day that the world would come under fire by those that would wish harm upon it. That is what happened six years ago in New York as well as in over a dozen places across the world.
"A large and powerful army of creatures called 'Titans' and 'Monsters' invaded the city with the intent to destroy it and conquer Mount Olympus that resides at the top of the Empire State Building.
"So we Half-Bloods stepped forward to defend the gods, the world, and humanity. Something we have done since time immemorial without the mortal world ever knowing of our existence. And while we were defending the city and it's population from certain destruction… our world was revealed to you for the first time in millennia."
She faced the Secretary General again. "Your Excellency, General Assembly and the entire population of the world, we are here today to act as the representatives of the Half-Blood people. To introduce you all to our people, our culture, and our country. We stand before you today to introduce the world to 'The Theocratic Republic City-States of Greece'. A unified republic of Half-Blood people from all around the globe, who have come together in the previous few years to form a recognized country of their own where they can live without fear of public danger, and live out their lives and have children of their own."
Cameras flashed as she took a moment to breathe.
"We have heard startling reports of various world governments trying to subjugate, endanger, strip the rights of and even weaponize our fellow Half-Bloods in the last few years since our reveal.
"We initially wanted to live hidden among the various nations across the world in peace, but until a time comes that publicly identified Half-Bloods can walk the streets of this country without fear of being attacked or wrongly arrested by authorities, we cannot remain citizens of the United States.
"So, in order to protect and better ourselves, we have formed a country of our own on divinely provided land, not claimed or owned by any nation so that we Half-Bloods can live in peace.
"In the following years we aim to work with you, the United Nations, to recognize The Theocratic Republic City-States of Greece as a legitimate, recognized country and future member of this prestigious Assembly. Our goals are to share our wealth of knowledge and resources with the rest of the world.
"We can no longer sit idly by and watch from the shadows as the world threatens to fall further into collapse. We will strive to be an example of brothers and sisters from members of all peoples of the world on how we should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the fears of a war between Half-Bloods and mortals are growing and threaten to destroy the very peace we fought for six years ago, and the peace we have fought to uphold for the last two thousand years.
"Violent hate-groups like the Zealots aim to cull us from this earth, and the governments of the world are not doing anything to protect young, defenseless and innocent half-blood children from being slaughtered in cold blood as they sleep in their beds."
Her previously stoic face morphed into a poorly-controlled visage of rage.
"More connects Half-Bloods and mortals than separates us. We are not some alien force wishing to harm the world, but a peace-loving people who wish to join the world one day in the future."
She paused to hold a small vial of what Percy first suspected to be Nectar to her eye level and swirled the silvery liquid inside.
"We have access to medical and engineering technology unheard of to the rest of the world. Our healers and doctors can mend, repair and even regrow entire bones and organs with our abilities and magical herbs. We wish to share medical gifts like this with the rest of the world, on the condition that they are made free to those that need them."
With a curt nod, Vienna looked from her fellow half-bloods to the audience. "General Assembly, Your Excellency, half-bloods have been hidden among humanity since before time was recorded, and we have no intention of leaving anytime soon."
Her eyes hardened as her voice sharpened. "The Theocratic Republic City-States of Greece— as well as the greater half-blood community, is here to tell the world that we are here. We are people. And that we are here to stay."
FIN
Please consider supporting me by becoming a Patron
(Author's Note)
Well, that's a wrap. Champion of Olympus is OFFICIALLY FINISHED!
I couldn't be prouder, but also sadder, to type that. It's only now starting to set in that this story that I started three years ago has finally ended.
I hope that all of you are excited for the sequel series 'Daughters of Olympus' as I am. Speaking of, I don't have an exact date for when it will come out. I have a few other small projects that I want to finish/start before I get fully into it(such as my HP story 'Sod it, I'm in' and such).
But I fully intend to not let such a big gap between chapters(in this case stories) to happen again. Give me some time to finalize the first books' timeline and draft a few more things, then I'll get started on fully writing it.
Fun Fact: Astraea's original name was 'Stella' and Aurora's original name was 'Dawn'. As for myself, I like the changes better, but I do know that a certain person would have rather had Aurora's name be Dawn. You know who you are, lol.
Question of the day: 'What was your favorite moment of Champion of Olympus? Least favorite? Favorite fight/event? Favorite/least favorite character?' Lemme know.
Next Time: Daughters Of Olympus
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...LEONIDAS WILL RETURN…
